Had a fantastic day today! Got a new neighbor and six months ago he saw me cleaning some firearms in my garage. He made the comment he had always wanted to shoot and had never found the time or anyone to get help get him started.
Fast Forward. We were talking last week and I asked if he was still interested in shooting and he said yes. So we arranged to go to the range today.
I took 5 handguns with us, starting with a .22 and all the way up to .45. Set him up with hearing/eye protection and gave him a simple firearm safety lesson. He was very attentive and I gave him a quick rundown of all the types of handguns we were going to be shooting. Got to say I was very impressed on how quickly he learned all the differences between the semi-autos, the revolvers single action and double action. I really was pleased when we started to use the different guns and he remembered how to safely load and handle every one of them.
Got him started with the .22 and he did very well except all groups were off to the left, I checked him out and although he is right handed he was left eye dominant, so I got him to shoot with the left eye only for a while and he started getting them in the black. Worked him through the 9mm, then the 38 Special, .357 mag and finally the 45 in Semi-Auto and the Blackhawk. He had fun and was handling all of the calibers pretty darn well.
Asked him which was his favorite and he was honest and said he liked all the pistols but liked the lesser recoil of the 9mm semi auto. So I let him shoot off another 50 rounds and he was grinning the whole time. He was by now starting to get consistent with the groups and I could tell he was very comfortable with the 9mm. He told me afterwards none of the guns had recoiled as bad as he thought they would. I think working up gradually through the calibers was probably the best thing I could have done. There was no flinching and I could tell the guy is going to be a great shooter.
Anyway it was finally time to call it a day and he asked me if I would go visit a gun store and help him decide what to get. I said we would go look, but he would have to decide what felt right in his hand. We looked at quite a few and he was drawn to the Rugers, (that’s what I had let him use in 9mm). He is going to look around for a week or so and then decide. I told him that it’s a pretty big investment, so take your time and find the one that feels good to you, Said I would go with him when he is ready to make the final decision.
Of course he had lots of questions about cost and ammo, permits etc. Answered all his questions honestly and he is very keen to get started. As we were driving back we talked about the fact that I reload for every firearm and caliber I own, he wanted to see it, so when we got back went over the very basics of reloading and he was really interested.
Guys I got to say, He was a great student and I tried not to come off as a ”know it all” and he was an excellent student, first time out.
I HAVEN'T HAD THAT MUCH FUN FOR YEARS!!!! How nice it was to see someone take to our hobby instantly. Seriously, it was a wonderful day for me too and I had as much fun as he did! He can’t wait to go to the range again!
Fast Forward. We were talking last week and I asked if he was still interested in shooting and he said yes. So we arranged to go to the range today.
I took 5 handguns with us, starting with a .22 and all the way up to .45. Set him up with hearing/eye protection and gave him a simple firearm safety lesson. He was very attentive and I gave him a quick rundown of all the types of handguns we were going to be shooting. Got to say I was very impressed on how quickly he learned all the differences between the semi-autos, the revolvers single action and double action. I really was pleased when we started to use the different guns and he remembered how to safely load and handle every one of them.
Got him started with the .22 and he did very well except all groups were off to the left, I checked him out and although he is right handed he was left eye dominant, so I got him to shoot with the left eye only for a while and he started getting them in the black. Worked him through the 9mm, then the 38 Special, .357 mag and finally the 45 in Semi-Auto and the Blackhawk. He had fun and was handling all of the calibers pretty darn well.
Asked him which was his favorite and he was honest and said he liked all the pistols but liked the lesser recoil of the 9mm semi auto. So I let him shoot off another 50 rounds and he was grinning the whole time. He was by now starting to get consistent with the groups and I could tell he was very comfortable with the 9mm. He told me afterwards none of the guns had recoiled as bad as he thought they would. I think working up gradually through the calibers was probably the best thing I could have done. There was no flinching and I could tell the guy is going to be a great shooter.
Anyway it was finally time to call it a day and he asked me if I would go visit a gun store and help him decide what to get. I said we would go look, but he would have to decide what felt right in his hand. We looked at quite a few and he was drawn to the Rugers, (that’s what I had let him use in 9mm). He is going to look around for a week or so and then decide. I told him that it’s a pretty big investment, so take your time and find the one that feels good to you, Said I would go with him when he is ready to make the final decision.
Of course he had lots of questions about cost and ammo, permits etc. Answered all his questions honestly and he is very keen to get started. As we were driving back we talked about the fact that I reload for every firearm and caliber I own, he wanted to see it, so when we got back went over the very basics of reloading and he was really interested.
Guys I got to say, He was a great student and I tried not to come off as a ”know it all” and he was an excellent student, first time out.
I HAVEN'T HAD THAT MUCH FUN FOR YEARS!!!! How nice it was to see someone take to our hobby instantly. Seriously, it was a wonderful day for me too and I had as much fun as he did! He can’t wait to go to the range again!